Christmas Time! And Battletech!

Christmas has come and gone again.
This year was pretty impressive in many ways. We ended up buying the biggest tree the kid's have ever had, there were piles of presents under the tree, and Santa really delivered this year (especially for Corwin!).

All of the kids got Lego sets (some came from Santa), the older kids got a Discovery Channel microscope, lots of books, the stockings were full of treats.
Jen, Paul, and Fyodor sent the kids a second generation Disney Infinity Avengers starter set for the Xbox 360 (all of the kids are nuts for it!)

And then the kids woke up Christmas morning and Corwin found this.

It's an Aircraft Carrier. The two boys flipped out when they saw it, and I don't know which of them plays with it more. They fight over it almost constantly too. It is quite large, though the picture doesn't really do it justice.

Saffron got a large Lego set, and I also gave her a CD/Radio Boombox all of her own. As well as a copy of Peter and the Wolf, narrated by Patrick Stewart. She's been listening to it, while reading a copy of the book I got when I was close to her age.

All in all, everyone got lots of presents and had a pretty good time. Bobo and I got plenty of goodies as well. Cooking stuff, cool books, the Agricola board game (which we got to play finally. Complicated, but fun  and every thing makes sense after you work your way through the rules).

I was also able to finish painting most of my new Battletech stuff that I got earlier, as well as my the tanks that I've had for a while. I decided to paint them all as a mercenary company (who's name is yet undetermined). The paint scheme matches with my Griffon and Battlemaster 'mechs as well, which gives me a current roster of six mechs and 4 tanks. I made a list of mechs that I still want to aquire as well...it's rather long. I guess it shows my tastes as well, because everything on it is from the 3025 readout.

Here's some pics of the finished mechs.

Group Shot!

Cataphract, Hatchetman and the two Marsden II heavy tanks

Marauder, Enforcer, and the two Patton/Rommel heavy tanks

I'm thinking about naming the outfit The Crimson Thunder Company

Corwin's Birthday

I'm horrible at this. My excuse is work, of course. Keeps me to busy to remember to update things properly.

But it is that time of year! Corwin's Birthday and Christmas!
Corwin is five years old now. Almost as hard to think about as Saffron turning seven in October. For his Birthday, Isabeau and I took everyone to the local Bullwinkles, where I had conveniently won a $50 gift card the last time we were there. The kids had a great time playing in the Fun Fortress, especially Osric who found a ball pit full of giant balls bigger than himself!

He had a great time. Then we played video games, a couple of prize games, and mini golf (sorta).
Then we went to Red Robin for a Birthday Dinner. Which was entertaining. We went on the Sunday that the Seahawks played the Niners, so the entire staff was dressed in Seahawks paraphernalia.
And every tv was playing the game of course. Corwin was entranced by it. First time he saw what was happening, he exclaimed that they were wrestling over the ball! And now they're doing it again!
It was fantastic.
Earlier in the day we did presents and the kids played pin the tail on the pony.

Saffron had made the pony.

All in all, everyone had a pretty good time.